May 29, 2007

AMO recalls contact lens care solution

Star: PETALING JAYA: Contact lens wearers who use Advanced Medical Optics Inc’s (AMO) Complete MoisturePlus solution should stop using it immediately.
According to a press release issued by the company yesterday, any consumer who is concerned about an eye condition should contact their eye-care practitioner first.
AMO, it said, was also voluntarily recalling the product from the market, although it emphasised that there was no evidence that the move was related to a product contamination issue.
“This does not impact any of AMO’s other contact lens care products including our family of hydrogen peroxide disinfecting solutions,” it added.
The recall was because of information from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about eye infections from Acanthamoeba, a naturally occurring water-borne organism that can contribute to serious corneal infections.
The CDC had interviewed 46 patients who had developed Acanthamoeba keratitis since January 2005 and 39 of these patients were soft contact lens wearers and 21 reported using Complete MoisturePlus products.
Acanthamoeba keratitis can produce corneal ulceration and cause severe loss of vision and even blindness. The symptoms include persistent redness and pain in the eye.
The CDC estimated those who used the solution had seven times greater risk than those who did not.
For details, call the consumer information hotline at 03-7710 6311 from Monday through Friday (9am to 6pm) or log on to http://www.amo-eyecare-sea.com